This invention relates generally to plastic bottle or container constructions, and particularly to thin walled bottles or containers which are collapsible and foldable to a compact configuration, but fully capable of stand-alone use. These containers are particularly advantageous for use with frozen and non-frozen (e.g., powdered) concentrates, drink mixes and/or other foodstuffs.
In the container industry, there are a number of known applications for relatively thin, flexible bottles or containers, some of the more well known of which relate to the shipment and retail sale of beverages such as milk, water, juice, etc., as well as liquid or powdered cleaners, detergents and the like.
It is often the case that such containers must be shipped over considerable distances to distributors who fill and then ship the filled containers to retail concerns. During the initial shipment to distributors, the empty containers, for example one gallon containers, take up so much space that, from a volume standpoint, the manufacturer is shipping mostly air.
At the same time, there is great concern in the environmental arena for plastic materials which for the most part are not biodegradable, and which therefore pose significant disposal problems, particularly in light of the ever expanding utilization of plastics in virtually every area of technology. The problem is especially acute in the container industry, not only with respect to the amount of plastic disposed of, but also the sheer volume of such waste.
This invention seeks to alleviate both of the above described concerns by:
1) providing a plastic bottle or container constructions which, in some instances, require only approximately one half of the plastic currently used in most plastic containers, particularly those larger containers, i.e., one gallon or larger, which typically carry milk, water, juice, detergents (liquid or powder) and other liquids and/or particulates, but which are fully capable of stand-alone use; and
2) shaping the containers in such a way as to facilitate machine-aided, controlled collapse and folding to a compact size which results in a two or more to one increase in shipping and inventory capacity and, by facilitating non-machine-aided (or random) collapse by the consumer after use, achieving similar orders of magnitude reduction in post-consumer waste volume.
A further concern addressed by this continuation-in-part application relates to the present practice of shipping/selling powdered concentrates or mixes (for beverages such as diet drinks and the like) in one container and mixing it in another. In other words, the present practice in this area requires two containers, with attendant manufacturing, shipping and disposal costs and related problems.
The invention disclosed in this continuation-in-part application provides, in one embodiment, a one-container system where, for example, powdered concentrate is held within a cap applied to the container. The assembly is shipped/sold and later mixed by the consumer in a single container which incorporates all of the advantages of the invention disclosed in the above identified parent applications.
In another embodiment, a one container system is provided for microwavable popcorn wherein unpopped corn, also held within the cap, is shipped and sold in a collapsed container which expands to full size as a result of the popping action of the corn when placed in a microwave oven.
After use, the containers in both embodiments may easily be collapsed in a random fashion for efficient disposal.
For purposes of this invention, the term "container" refers to plastic containers or bottles having shapes as disclosed herein. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, a thin walled plastic container is manufactured by an extrusion or injection blow molding process, incorporating a thin walled construction which permits the normally self-supporting container to be collapsed and a portion or portions concentrically folded to provide a compact, nestable and/or stackable container for efficient shipment as well as disposal.
The container in the first above mentioned exemplary embodiment, generally has a bottom wall, a peripheral side wall, and an upper, open end serving as a discharge opening, closed by, for example, a removable screw cap.
The container side wall is provided with peripheral, vertically spaced steps or shoulders with or without a slightly tapered peripheral wall, which facilitate axial collapse and subsequent concentric folding of one or more portions of the side wall to provide a collapsed and folded container with at least two "layers" of side wall arranged in a zig-zag or S-shaped configuration, in generally surrounding relationship to the adjacent uncollapsed portion of the side wall.
The container side wall may also be formed with a smooth, tapered or even straight peripheral side wall and nevertheless collapsed and folded as will be explained further herein.
It will be appreciated that the above described steps or shoulders (or smooth wall tapers) can be designed to increase or decrease the diameter of the peripheral side wall. The direction of diameter reduction will determine the type of concentric fold which will be effected upon axial collapse of the container. If the diameter increases from top to bottom, outward and upward folds will be created, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,613. If, on the other hand, the diameter decreases from top to bottom, then outward and downward folds will be created, as disclosed in parent application Ser. No. 07/706,853.
After manufacture, the containers are collapsed in a controlled manner by apparatus similar to that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,613. This provides a uniform, attractive appearance, and facilitates, in this case, the use of caps with integral foodstuff holding chambers. After use, however, the container is intended to be collapsed in a random manner by the consumer to achieve post-consumer waste reduction. It will be readily evident that for disposal purposes, controlled collapse is unnecessary, particularly since the volume reduction is similar whether or not collapsing is controlled.
It is also a feature of the invention, that the container as a whole as well as the axial extent of remaining unfolded portions are sized to permit the holding within the cap chamber of a predetermined amount of, for example, powdered concentrate or drink mix or other foodstuff material. In other words, the cap chamber wall may have an axial extent substantially equal to the axial extent of the unfolded portions of the container (which, in turn, may also be substantially equal to the axial extent of each fold) so that the cap provides axial support for the collapsed container, which is particularly advantageous for stacking.
Accordingly, in one exemplary embodiment, the powdered drink mix or concentrate is held within a chamber provided within a removable screw cap. More specifically, the screw cap has an interior peripheral skirt extending downwardly into the container, a lower open end of which is closed by a removable seal. The axial extent of the skirt corresponds to, or is shorter than, the unfolded portion of the container, so that in some cases the lower edge of the peripheral skirt engages the container bottom wall when the container is in the collapsed condition. As already noted, this arrangement provides good support for the container, particularly when stacked with other similar containers for shipment and/or storage.
In another exemplary embodiment, a predetermined amount of unpopped corn is held within a cap chamber which lies within the remaining uncollapsed portion of the container.
In both embodiments, the overall volumetric capacity of the container is selected to accommodate the corresponding volume of mixed drink (with liquid, such as water, added) or popped corn.
In a preferred arrangement, an additional volumetric capacity may be provided in the first described embodiment to permit shaking of the contents to insure complete mixing. As an example, the container may be sized to hold a half gallon of diet drink mix with an additional 20% volumetric capacity added for mixing purposes. Such additional volume may or may not be desirable and/or cost effective in the popcorn container embodiment.
It will be appreciated from the above that the subject matter of this continuation-in-part application permits compact shipment of containers from manufacturers to distributors/fillers, and equally compact shipment with concentrate added to retailers. Of course, inventory and display at the point of sale are also facilitated by the compact arrangement. At the same time, the invention eliminates the need for separate containers for dispensing the ultimate product during consumer use, and effects significant waste volume reductions after use.
Thus, in one aspect, the present invention provides a collapsible, thin wall, plastic container comprising a closed end, an annular peripheral side wall and an open end, the peripheral side wall including means for enabling axial collapse of the container to a compact, collapsed condition wherein a plurality of substantially concentric folds surround a remaining uncollapsed portion of the container; and a removable cap securable to the open end, the cap having a sealable chamber formed therein.
Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the detailed description which follows.